


Letters to Loving You

by merlins beard (sherbertlemon)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 01:00:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7145642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherbertlemon/pseuds/merlins%20beard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>banner by Hobbit'@tda</p><p><i> <b>heart </b>, noun: </i><br/>A hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation. In vertebrates there may be up to four chambers (as in humans), with two atria and two ventricles.</p><p>If that is all a heart is, why does mine speed up when I'm with you?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letters to Loving You

DRACO

"All rise for the Minister of Magic." The small, bold wizard in the purple robes called the room to order in an unnaturally high-pitched voice.

I hadn't expected that the minister would personally be presiding over my trial. Father had already been sentenced to life in Azkaban. After his trial, it had taken me a while to realize that he was really gone. When the fact had finally sunk in, when I had realized that I would never have to follow his orders again, the feeling of relief had been stronger than I ever thought possible. He had been taken away right after the battle, while Mother and I had been permitted to stay at home for the time leading up to our trials. We had relished in the time spent without him at the Manor. Of course, every corner, every room had reminded us of him and for a while, it had been as if he was still there. After some time, the phantom presence had begun to fade, and Mother and I had slowly started feeling like ourselves again.

There had been many trials to hold, so Mother and I had been waiting for ours for 18 months. The time had crept by slowly, being locked up in the huge Mansion and being haunted by memories of what had happened there. Mother had spent copious amounts of time in bed with the curtains drawn and had only emerged from her room on the exceptionally few good days. The house elves had taken good care of us. They had always preferred my mother and her kind treatment of them to Father's abusive words and were still faithful to her even after the prolonged period of torture they had had to endure while we were entertaining guests during the war.

The time of waiting had passed, however, and the date of our trials had come closer, had slowly crept up on us, until it had finally arrived. There was a definite possibility that both Mother and I would be sent to Azkaban right after the trial today. I shuddered at the thought and felt my hands go clammy. It was not the Dementors who instilled that kind of reaction in me, but rather the thought of being forced into such close vicinity with my father again. I wanted to keep as much distance between the two of us as possible.

At the bailiff's order, our attorney pushed us forward towards the middle of the brightly lit room. The chains hanging from my chair shook slightly, but didn't clasp around my wrists as I sank into it. A quick glance to my right side revealed that Mother's chains hadn't tied her down either. The entire Wizengamot was gathered in the seats of the ancient court room. I let my eyes sweep around the room, taking in the faces of those who would decide my fate in just a few hours time. Most of them were glaring back at me and I was just about to turn away, all hope for a merciful verdict gone from my mind, when I came across the face of a wizard with bright red hair. For a moment, I didn't realize what had made me stop and let my glance linger on him, but after exploring his features a little more, I realized that his face looked different. Where the eyes of the other wizards and witches had stared back at me with anger and fear apparent in their features, this man's face was different, the corners of his mouth were soft and a kind smile stretched across his features as our gazes met. I suddenly realized that he felt sorry for me. After all the things I had done to him and his family, Bill Weasley actually pitied me. For one painful moment I almost slipped back into my old pattern - I felt a sneer fight it’s way onto my face, but it took me only a fraction of a second to fight back. Father wasn’t here, there was no need to pretend anymore. There was nothing wrong with that family. In fact, even though they were as poor as one can be, they had always had exactly what I longed for all my life - a loving family that, despite being threatened and almost killed on more than one occasion, was still strong enough to fight for the right thing.

We looked at each other for another moment or two before I averted my eyes as I felt my face flush with shame. All the same, his expression more than anything else managed to give me hope. Maybe there was a chance for Mother and me to leave here today and go back home instead of going to Azkaban.

Mr. Hedley cleared his throat softly next to me and after a quick look around the room, I understood that my attorney signaled for me to get up. I quickly got to my feet and saw mother do the same next to me.  
I had refused to let her tell the court that father and her had forced me to do everything I did for the last two years in order to protect me. I wanted to take full responsibility for my actions, as long as that didn’t get me into the same prison cell father was in.

The deep voice of Minister Shacklebolt covered the room like a soft blanket when he finally spoke, “Well, let’s start then. Please read the charges, Miss Bones.”

A soft female voice filled the room, almost drowning in the silence that had been left behind by the Minister’s words.

“Draco Malfoy, the following charges are presented against you: the attempted murder of Albus Dumbledore, of endangering fellow students by allowing Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and of taking part in the torture and imprisonment of Miss Luna Lovegood, Mr. Garrick Ollivander, the Goblin Griphook, Miss Hermione Granger, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Mr. Harry Potter. Furthermore this court charges you to have taken part in the Final Battle and to have used Unforgivable Curses in the course of it."

"Narcissa Malfoy, the following charges are presented against you: providing shelter for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at Malfoy Manor, assisting him in the torture and murder of at least the following six witches and wizards: Charity Burbage, Melissa and Tom Banks, Florean Fortescue, Peter Pettigrew and Mundungus Fletcher, and of taking part in the torture and imprisonment of Miss Luna Lovegood, Mr. Garrick Ollivander, the Goblin Griphook, Miss Hermione Granger, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Mr. Harry Potter. You are also charged with taking part in the Final Battle and using Unforgivable Curses, some of them on minors, during the course of it.”

“Please be seated.” the Bailiff’s high shriek rang through the room after Susan Bones had finished reading the charges.

After the shuffling of feet and robes had died down again, the Minister turned towards me and spoke directly to me for the first time, “Mr. Malfoy, do you plead guilty of these charges?”

Mr. Hedley had told Mother and me to plead guilty and ask for forgiveness when we had talked about strategies earlier. I was just about to reply, my mouth opening and starting to form the words, when I noticed a slight movement in the corner of my eye. I turned my head to face Bill Weasley again. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he was shaking his head at me. His eyes were fixed at a spot far above my head on the opposite wall, and I was sure he hadn’t intended to give me a sign when his lips moved and soundlessly, but very clearly, formed the words “not guilty”.

“Mr. Malfoy?” the Minister’s voice brought my attention back to the question he had asked me. I had to decide quickly. Did I trust Weasley more than I trusted my own lawyer? I surprised myself with the answer to that question. A clear Yes! rang through my head. I shook off the confusion that thought had caused in me and slowly shook my head at the Minister.

“No, I do not accept my charges. I plead Not Guilty.”

I could have heard a feather drop to the floor in the silence that followed. It seemed that no one knew quite how to react.

A sudden crash interrupted the uncomfortable stupor that had held the whole courtroom under it’s spell as the door burst open and a short black-haired man entered.

Immediately, the room erupted in whispers of recognition.  
“Potter? What’s he doing here?”  
“I thought they were enemies at school-”  
“Probably here to see them locked up for good…”  
“Disrupting a trial like that… That’s not how it’s done…”  
“Potter’s never been one to follow protocol.”

The familiar shape of Harry Potter strode into the courtroom, commandeering everyone’s attention as he cleared his throat loudly.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, Minister, I got held up. I want to testify in this case brought before you today.”

I could feel the heat of the blood rushing through my body, hear the rhythmic thud-thud thud-thud of my heart echo in my ears as my mind tried to process what was happening. Why was he here? What did he want? I hadn’t seen him since the Final Battle, but his face had obviously made the cover of quite a few newspapers during that time. I didn’t know if he knew all of what had happened during the Final Battle, or before that, at Malfoy Manor. How much had the Lovegood girl told him? Had he come to make sure Draco and Narcissa were locked up for good? But according to the Daily Prophet, Potter was all about just treatment of war criminals nowadays. Him and the other Aurors had spent the past year rounding up all the escaped Death Eaters, but as far as I knew, he had never before attended a trial personally. The chains on my chair clanged in a way that made it sound almost like evil laughter as I raised my arms from the armrests to cover my face with my hands and run my fingers through my hair. Only then did I remember that I wasn’t supposed to show any weakness.

While I had been falling apart, my attorney had moved forward to talk to Minister Shacklebolt and Potter. I managed to pull myself together just as Mr. Hedley sat down next to me again and the Minister’s voice announced, “Well, since the attorney of the accused agreed, we will start off with Mr. Potter’s testimony. Mr. Potter assures me that it will change the course of this case if we let him speak right now. Take a seat, Harry.”

Potter sunk into a simple, wooden chair right in front of the Minister’s seat, facing the Wizengamot. He looked unsure, as if he didn’t quite know how to begin. He needn’t have worried because the Minister started by asking him questions anyway.

“State your full name, address and occupation for the protocol, please.” he advised the black haired man.

Everything seemed so bright and vivid to me then. Shacklebolt’s burgundy robe stood out to me like a ball of fire and when he spoke, his deep velvety voice rushed at me in waves, crashed against my ears where the rushing of the blood made it difficult for me to catch a meaning.

“Harry James Potter, Kingsgate Manor, and I’m an Auror.” Potter replied, clearly wanting to add something else when the Minister moved his hand slightly, making Potter stop talking immediately.

“Harry James Potter, do you swear to tell the truth to your best knowledge to help further this trial?” the Bailiff asked him.

“I swear.” came the answer.

The Minister sighed and signalled the Bailiff to resume his position next to the door of the courtroom, “All right Harry, go ahead. Tell us why you’re here.”

Potter took a deep breath and settled into his chair for what seemed to become a rather long speech.

"I have a lot to tell you and this isn’t an easy topic for me to talk about. I would prefer replying to questions later, if you could just let me tell the whole story first.  
I have been informed of the charges against the accused. However, I would like to enlighten you all about the circumstances in which Draco Malfoy and his mother had to commit these crimes. And I would like to start with the so-called murder of Albus Dumbledore. There was no murder."

Loud gasps could be heard all around the room. No murder? What the hell was he talking about? Why was he defending me? Potter didn't seem to mind the disruption too much. He continued,

"Albus Dumbledore spent the last year of his life hunting Horcruxes. He had found one at the beginning of the year. Forgetting about the protective enchantments that surrounded the Gaunt-ring, Professor Dumbledore put the ring on his finger. A strong curse that had been concealed in the ring hit him as soon as it was in place. Dumbledore managed to take the ring off and destroy the Horcrux. However, the curse would have killed him that night, had it not been for Professor Snape containing it to his left hand.  
Kingsley - I'm sorry - Minister, I am sure you remember Albus had a blackened left hand and wouldn't tell anyone what had happened to him. The curse could only be slowed for a while, within a year Albus would have died anyway. He made a deal with Professor Snape. When the time came, Snape agreed to kill Albus to save Draco Malfoy's soul.”

The complete silence that filled the courtroom now was a rather sharp contrast to all the muttering that had gone on earlier. Potter just shrugged at the disbelieving looks that were sent his way and - again - continued talking before I could even comprehend what he had said,

“Since Albus' death was a prearranged affair, and since he was aware of Voldemort's plan to have Draco kill him, I am sure you must agree that there was no attempted murder by Draco Malfoy, just another murder Voldemort is responsible for.”

He let his gaze sweep through the room, almost daring the members of the wizengamot to disagree with him. When no one spoke, he cleared his throat again and continued,

“Next, I want to address the topic both accused are charged with. The imprisonment and torture of Luna Lovegood, Mr. Ollivander, Griphook, Hermione, Ron and myself.”

I had never before paid that amount of attention to what Potter said. At his words, even Mother seemed to sit up straight and pay attention. Would he tell everyone how awful it had been? How the Granger girl had been tortured and they hadn’t done anything about it? How I myself had tortured the Lovegood girl and the Goblin? Would he neglect to tell them that I was forced by my aunt to do these things?

“Hermione, Ron and I were only imprisoned inside Malfoy Manor for a day. We were caught by Snatchers and brought there. Hermione threw a stinging jinx at me so I would be less recognisable. When we were presented to Bellatrix, she asked Draco to identify us. Even though I am sure he knew who we were, he did not confirm our identities. He did not torture any of us, and neither did his mother.”

I heard someone gasp in shock and it took me a moment to realize that I it had been me. Potter had caught me off guard completely. I had been expecting anything from him, anything but him helping me.

“When I talked to Luna about Draco and Narcissa's role in her imprisonment, she spoke almost fondly of Draco. Apparently he snuck down to the basement to bring them food and water and blankets when nobody else was close. She told me to tell you, Draco, that she'll always be grateful for that.”

Had Potter just addressed me personally, in a courtroom full of people? What had he said? Something about the Lovegood girl. Hang on, he said she was grateful for what I had done for her. Even though she had been imprisoned and tortured at Malfoy Manor. What an odd girl.

“These are the reasons why I want to suggest you only charge Draco Malfoy with association with Voldemort. The only crime he committed was choosing the wrong side. And if Hermione is right - and I think we all know she often is - his choice was probably made for him by others. The charges for Narcissa Malfoy can also be reduced to the first part. These crimes I did not witness, therefore I cannot tell if the charges are true.”

What had just happened? I fought the confusion, desperately trying to focus on the proceedings in front of me. Potter took no notice of my inner turmoil and just kept on talking.

“I still have one more thing to add, though. As I am sure everyone is aware, I went into the Forbidden Forest to search for Voldemort during the battle. What most of you don’t know is that I let him kill me there.”

There was another audible gasp, this time coming from every single witch or wizard in the room, but Potter just pushed through. He didn’t seem able to stop. It had taken me until that moment to realize that it had to be just as hard for him to talk about all of this as it was for me to hear it. At least he had been familiar with the story already, while some of it was new to me.

“When he asked if I had truly died, Narcissa checked my body. She was immediately aware that I was still alive. After making me tell her if Draco was fine, she lied to Voldemort. She looked right at him and told him I was dead. If not for her bravery, I probably would be dead. I ask you to please consider this in your ruling."

Potter stopped talking and stayed in his seat, looking up at the minister. The whole courtroom had gone quiet again and the entire wizengamot seemed to be equally as stunned as I was. Once I forced myself to look up at Potter and the Minister, both had an expression on their face that I wouldn’t have expected to see at my trial. Pity. They were feeling sorry for me . Ever so slowly, a steady whisper replaced the silence in the courtroom as the members of the wizengamot started discussing what they had learned in hushed tones.

I couldn't believe what had happened. Harry Potter had just kept Mother and me from getting a life sentence.

While I was still sitting there, staring at the people at the front of the room and trying to understand how Harry Potter had again saved my life, the court proceedings carried on. I could hear the Minister call for order and then ask the jury to cast their votes, but it all had been pushed into the background. The only thing I really saw - really wanted to see - was my mother, sitting right there next to me, and how the sadness and worry on her face had been almost completely replaced by a look of relief and joy. I couldn’t remember seeing her this happy before, and as I reached out to take her hand, she smiled my smile , the one she used to wear when I was little and had done something to make her proud. Time seemed to have frozen as we looked at each other.

We were pulled back out of our stupor by the bailiff’s ringing voice echoing through the court room, “Please stand for the pronouncement of judgement.”

After the general noise of everyone getting up had died down again, Minister Shacklebolt cleared his throat.

“The accused, Draco Malfoy is found guilty of association with Voldemort. We recognize the fact that the circumstances leading to his choices are just as much to blame as his lack of better judgement, and we acknowledge the fact that Mr. Malfoy didn’t have the appropriate role models every young wizard should have. However, Mr. Malfoy is responsible for his own choices and actions and there must be consequences for the severe lack of judgement. The wizengamot has sentenced Mr. Malfoy to an undefined amount of Community Service, to be completed at the Royal London Hospital. Mr. Malfoy will have to undergo weekly counseling sessions at the Auror department in addition to his community service. The Auror in charge of you will be able to release you from both the community service and the counseling sessions when they decide you’re ready.”

Looking directly at me, he added, “Mr. Malfoy, I trust you understand that we are doing you a favour here. The Wizengamot could have judged you much more harshly, but most of us felt that you deserved a second chance. Your community service placement was chosen for one simple reason. Your actions have caused harm to Muggles, so we thought it appropriate for you to make it up to the Muggles by working in a facility where injured Muggles are treated. It goes without saying that you may not harm any of them, that you will listen to your supervisors, and that you will not be allowed to use your wand while at the hospital.”

I nodded, but the Minister had already turned away to look at my Mother instead. I tried really hard to focus on what he was saying, but I didn’t catch a thing. I kept running what the Minister had said to me through my head. It really didn’t sound too bad.

After the trial Mother was taken to Azkaban where she was to remain for the next ten years. It could have been so much worse, ten years was a lot less than we feared. After hearing the verdict, Mother just nodded once and then asked for one thing - a cell far away from my father’s. She hugged me one last time and then was taken away right after Minister Shacklebolt closed the proceedings.

I just remained standing in the middle of the circular room, not sure whether or not I was allowed to just leave. People had started leaving and I decided to just wait for a bit and try not to do anything stupid or embarrassing.

The room was almost empty, when I finally dared to take a cautious step towards the exit, glancing around cautiously in case someone would hold me back. When I was sure no one would, I practically ran for the door and up the stairs, to the elevator.


End file.
